Bulimia and Depression
The prevalence of eating disorders among American women has increased dramatically in the past decade. In turn, the psychological community has expanded it's scope of research and study by focusing more attention on eating disorders and concentrating on other extended issues related to eating disorders. The desire to distinguish and understand a possible relationship between bulimia nervosa and depression has become a major focus within the field. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the reader to literature from two different journal articles on this relationship.
How Are Bulimia and Depression Possibly Related?:
Presently, there are two predominant hypotheses on the relationship between bulimia nervosa and depression. The first hypothesis states that bulimia nervosa is an affective variant of depression. (Hinz and Williamson, 1987) This idea came about due to early reports of a high prevalence of clinical depression in bulimics and a high lifetime prevalence of depression in the families of these patients. Recent studies, however, provide evidence that this type of relationship between bulimia and depression is still unconfirmed. (Levy et al., 1989) The second hypothesis constitutes that bulimia is a "distinctive diagnostic entity with a psychopathological process different from that of other mental disorders". (Hinz, et al., 1987) The following articles review the findings of research which effect the level of support for these two hypotheses.
Cognitive Comparisons in Defining Bulimia and Depression:
Bulimia is characterized by a number of symptoms. Many of these symptoms are also common among depression. Schlesier-Carter, et al., 1989 state that for bulimia,
"the distinctiv...
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... psychopathological process different from that of other mental disorders". (Hinz, et al., 1987) Further research and study on the relationship between bulimia and depression is highly encouraged. With the high percentage of depression found in bulimic patients, understanding the link between these disorders is essential for treatment development.
Bibliography:
Hinz, L. and Williamson, D. (1987). "Bulimia and Depression: A Review of the Affective Variant Hypothesis". Psychological Bulletin, 102(1), 150-158.
Levy, A., Dixon, K., and Stern, S. (1989). "How are Depression and Bulimia Related". The American Journal of Psychiatry, 146(2), 162-168.
Schlesier-Carter, B., Hamilton, S., O'Neil, P., Lydiard, R., and Malcolm, R. "Depression and Bulimia: The Link Between Depression and Bulimic Cognitions". Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 98(3), 322-325.
In summary, bulimia nervosa, is a serious potential life-threatening eating disorder characterized by a cycle of binging and purging. The evidence of bulimia nervosa are eating large amounts of food in one sitting and the taking frequent trips to the bathroom to purge. Bulimia can be triggered by dieting, stress, and culture beliefs. Luckily, there is treatment for this eating disorder. Patients can undergo nutritional counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce or eliminate the binging and purging of bulimia nervosa. The antidepressant Prozac can help reduce the patients’ depression and anxiety symptoms. Thankfully there is a chance for recovery for this life threatening eating disorder and patients do have the opportunity to live long healthy
Ever since 1979, the world became introduced to a different type of anorexia disorder called bulimia nervosa by Gerald Russell. In the similar attempt to lose weight like anorexia, bulimia nervosa is characterized by having episodes of binge eating, followed by intense efforts to avoid gaining weight. Some of the methods to avoid gaining the weight can be to induce self-vomiting, and consuming laxatives or diuretics. As a result of Russell studying theses eating disorders, he discovered that approximately 1/100 women in Western societies were affected in 1990 (Palmer, 2014). Ever since bulimia nervosa became a known eating disorder, more people have been able to effectively be diagnosed with it, and more useful information about the disorder
...ing in bulimia nervosa: A crossover study. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 177, 259-266.
Cognitive-behavioral treatment of bulimia regards individuals' attitudes toward their shape and weight as central to maintaining the disorder. This approach seeks to change individuals' dysfunctional attitudes in order to facilitate recovery. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for bulimia is a combination of behavioral techniques and aspects of cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapy (CT) is founded upon the underlying rationale that an individual's affect and behavior are largely determined by the way he/she structures the world (Beck, 1979). The individual's cognitions are based upon attitudes or assumptions that have been developed from previous experiences. Therapeutic techniques of CT treatment are designed to identify, reality-test, and correct distorted conceptualizations and dysfunctional beliefs which underlie the individual's cognitions (Beck, 1979). Therefore CT views an individual'...
It is possible that bulimics may appraise potential stressors differently from other individuals. For example, in comparison to nonbulimics, people with bulimia may appraise the situation as being more s...
Very few experts disagree with the fact that breastfeeding is the optimal choice for the infant. However, decreasing breastfeeding rates raise many questions as to why mothers are not choosing the best nutritional choice for their children. Despite breast milk being the obvious choice for infant feeding due to the health, psychological, and economic benefits, many mothers still decide to feed their infants formula due to lack of knowledge and support, difficulties with breastfeeding, and social embarrassment. Changes need to be made with formula companies, medical professionals, and the public opinion of breastfeeding in order to give nursing mothers the support they deserve.
Nutrition and breastfeeding are subjects that can relate greatly to each other. New mothers are in a need of information regarding breastfeeding. Mothers receive the information and instructions on how to breastfeed at the hospital where they bear their children. That information is essential in the decision making process of whether to breastfeed or not. Still the clear choice for mothers everywhere is breastfeeding for several important life affecting reasons. Breast milk is highly nutritional, protects from various diseases, ideal in growth, promotes bonding, and is beneficial for the mother in a recovery process after labor.
As many as 20% of females in their teenage and young adult years suffer from anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa (Alexander-Mott, 4). Males are also afflicted by these eating disorders, but at a much lower rate, with a female to male ratio of six to one. Those with anorexia nervosa refuse to maintain a normal body weight by not eating and have an intense fear of gaining weight. People with bulimia nervosa go through periods of binge eating and then purging (vomiting), or sometimes not purging but instead refraining from eating at all for days. Both of these disorders wreak havoc on a person's body and mental state, forcing them to become emaciated and often depressed.
Bauer, Barbara G. Ph.D., Wayne Anderson, Ph.D., and Robert W. Hyatt, M.D. Bulimia, Book for Therapist and Client. Indianapolis: Accelerated Development Inc., 1986.
Bulimia nervosa is a slightly less serious version of anorexia, but can lead to some of the same horrible results. Bulimia involves an intense concern about weight (which is generally inaccurate) combined with frequent cycles of binge eating followed by purging, through self-induced vomiting, unwarranted use of laxatives, or excessive exercising. Most bulimics are of normal body weight, but they are preoccupied with their weight, feel extreme shame about their abnormal behavior, and often experience significant depression. The occurrence of bulimia has increased in many Western countries over the past few decades. Numbers are difficult to establish due to the shame of reporting incidences to health care providers (Bee and Boyd, 2001).
Rorty M, Yager J, & Rossotto E (1994). Childhood sexual, physical, and psychological abuse in bulimia nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 1122-1126.
Bauer, Barbara G. Ph.D., Wayne Anderson, Ph.D., and Robert W. Hyatt, M.D. Bulimia, Book for Therapist and Client. Indianapolis: Accelerated Development Inc., 1986.
Is there any food on earth that can provide the PERFECT nutrition to a human? Yes, and it is breast milk. Breast milk is the perfect nutrition. This superior food contains hormones, live antibacterial and antiviral cells and essential fatty acids (What Makes Human Milk Special?, Mar-Apr 2006). All of which are helpful in protecting against any harm. Sicknesses in infants are lowered by the help that breast milk gives. Breastfed children are sick less often than children who aren’t breastfed (What Makes Human Milk Special?, Mar-Apr 2006). Breast milk contains all the nutrients that an infant needs as it continues to grow. When the child is brought into the world it has no way to fight off any d...
Anorexia and bulimia differ symptomatically; the former exhibits symptoms of abstinence from food, while the latter is characterized by more of a “fear like” emotion over having consumed food, particularly in women. It can be seen that where anorexics tend to eat almost nothing at all, bulimic patients indulge in “binge eating”, after which they tend to use extreme meas...
Breast milk is made for the baby having just the right amount of protein, sugar, water, and fat that is needed for a baby’s growth and development. As breast milk is easier for newborn’s to digest than formal, it prevents intestinal upsets. Furthermore, breast milk includes substances such as immunoglobulin’s...